YouTube has backtracked on planned sweeping changes to the way it verifies content creators after a backlash from the creators. The changes would have meant some YouTubers would have become unverified, hurting the earnings they make from videos posted on the platform.
The video-sharing giant said it “completely missed the mark” in an earlier announcement, and accounts that already have a verification badge won’t lose it.
“We heard loud and clear how much the badge means to you. Channels that already have the verification badge will now keep it and don’t have to appeal,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Many YouTube creators, some with millions of followers, had voiced their disappointment in public.
YouTube creators were also worried that the changes would affect their view counts which impact their placement in search results. They were afraid users might not be able to identify the authentic accounts.
YouTube wrote on a blog that it will replace the existing checkmark with “a new look” intended to maked the “official channel of the creator, celebrity or brand” identifiable.
